There's Always Something
by Julie-Ann S
Summary: An old friend of the Cartwrights makes an appearance, causing Adam some concern. (Fourth story in the series)


The clock above the counter chimed in the hour of one. Joe glanced up and after noting the time, he quickly scanned the mercantile to see if his wayward brother had returned. Seeing that he hadn't, Joe took a deep breath and continued his conversation. He had been distracted by the beautiful girl he was talking to long enough to fail to notice that his brother had used it as an opportunity to leave. By the time he had realised that Adam was gone, it was too late for him to do anything about it and so he had decided to stay put. For the last thirty minutes or so he had been standing there listening to and talking with the young lady. During this time, his thoughts had frequently turned to his brother and to Adam's real purpose for being here in town.

"Joe Cartwright. You haven't been listening to a word I've been saying, have you?"

"Oh. Yeah. Sure. Heard every word you said, Leah." Joe smiled charmingly.

Leah frowned. "Hmm. The way you were looking right now gave me the impression that your mind was elsewhere."

Joe took her hand, lifted it gently to his mouth and kissed the back of it as he glanced up at her. Leah moaned softly. He kept her hand in his while he let her know that she had his full attention.

She shook her head slowly. "I don't know how you do it, Joe. A girl can never stay mad at you for very long."

"Believe me they can and they have." He took hold of her other hand and held them both. "I'm afraid that I have to go now but rest assured I'll come by the next time I'm in town."

"Make sure that you do." She smiled shyly at him.

Letting go of her hands, he tipped his hat in farewell. As he walked outside of the mercantile, he smiled to himself. You've still got it Joe Cartwright, no matter what anybody says.

As he stood on the sidewalk, he tried to think of where Adam could have gone off to. After looking to his left and then to his right, he faced forward. He began to watch what was happening in front of him. His mind however, was not paying attention to what was going on in the street; it was still trying to figure out the possible whereabouts of Adam.

The plan had been originally to stick close by Adam so that he could find out what his brother's big secret was. It had sounded perfectly alright to him this morning, when he had found out that Adam was coming into town. He had wasted no time in promptly inviting himself to join Adam on the trip. He smirked as he remembered what Adam's reaction had been to his impromptu invitation. By just the look on Adam's face, he could tell that his brother wasn't pleased with the idea. He also knew that there was nothing much Adam could about it without raising any more suspicions. Joe grinned. Who said that he couldn't have a little fun along the way?

Trying to find out what the hell was Adam was up to had been slow-going. The thing that irritated Joe the most about all of this was the fact that Hoss knew about it and he didn't. Being left out of the loop, especially where his brothers were concerned was not the most pleasant of feelings. Whatever it was that Adam was hiding from the rest of the family, he was practically certain that Hoss had found out about it. However, getting any information out of Hoss was virtually impossible. Once Hoss gave his word to keep quiet, nothing short of a death in the family would get him to say anything.

Joe remembered that ever since Renee, he had made up his mind to find out what was going on, no matter what. However, the task had proved to be harder than he had originally thought it would be. It didn't help that Adam, on the surface, was seen to be doing nothing out of the ordinary. Even Adam's trip to Placerville a couple of weeks ago seemed to be on the level but Joe had the sneaking suspicion that it also had something to do with Adam's secret life.

"Well...I see that you're ready to go then."

Joe blinked and turned to his left. Adam had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Uh. I-I was just coming to look for you."

"It looks like I saved you the trouble." Adam grinned. He already had an idea as to why Joe was suddenly interested in spending more time with him. "How about we go and get some lunch before we head home?"

To hide that he was a little bit disappointed at Adam's re-appearance and the fact that Adam had already had done what he wanted to do in town today, Joe just nodded. "Yeah. I could do with something to eat."

Adam smiled. He had seen the flicker of disappointment that had crossed Joe's face, but he chose to ignore it. The two of them then began to walk down the street to a cafe that had a reputation for serving some of the best meals in Virginia City. It was as they neared The Silver Dollar, that their journey was suddenly halted.

A small crowd had gathered outside the entrance of the saloon making it near impossible for them to get by. Adam and Joe were just about to walk around when the crowd suddenly dispersed. A large man, wearing what looked like a permanent scowl on his face, was making his way out of the saloon. He was carrying another man over his shoulders. Adam and Joe watched, as the large man purposely headed over to the water trough that was situated near the building. Upon reaching the trough, he promptly threw the man that he was carrying, into it.

"If I eva seen yer scrawny face agin, you'll wish you neva bin born," the large man shouted to the man, who was now lying face down in the trough. The large man then made his way back inside the saloon.

Adam shook his head in amazement. That large man was a mean one that was for sure. After making a mental note to keep eye on him in the future, Adam's thoughts then began to wander as he thought about how Hoss would fare in a fight against the large man. The large man would definitely give Hoss a run for his money, no doubt about it. Turning to face Joe, Adam was surprised to find that his brother had gone. Quickly looking around, he finally saw Joe standing near the water trough watching the dumped man get out.

Joe watched the man get slowly out of the trough. When he had seen the large man carry him out and although he couldn't see the man's face, Joe had the feeling that he knew who it was. Now he was absolutely positive. "Candy?"

The man turned around to see who had called his name. "Joe!"

Joe laughed and moved forward a little. He took a good look at his old friend and grinned. "Well, I see things haven't changed much since I last saw you. Care to tell me what that was all about?"

"And it's great to see you too, Joe." Candy grinned. "That? That was just a little misunderstanding, nothing else. Now tell me how is everybody?"

"Everybody is just fine. When did you get back and when did you plan on telling us?"

"Got into town yesterday. I was planning on coming out tomorrow."

"I guess you're back for a while then?"

"As you know that depends. So, you still breaking hearts all over Virginia City?"

Joe grinned. "Of course."

"Well...I guess you'll have some competition for a little while now."

Adam decided that he had been watching the exchange between Joe and this Candy fellow for long enough. It seemed to Adam that Joe and Candy had picked up from where they had previously left off. He was also a little bit perplexed by his reaction in seeing the enthusiastic welcome that Joe had given Candy. He casually walked over to the two of them and cleared his throat.

Candy turned in the direction of the sound and folded his arms. "Seems we have company, Joe." Silently, he began to take stock of the newcomer.

"Oh hell, Adam. Sorry...forgot all about you for a moment there, big brother." Joe winked at Adam. "Candy, this is my brother Adam. Adam this is Candy Canady, an old friend of the family."

Adam and Candy immediately started to size each other up. Adam, for his brother's sake, had made up his mind to be at least pleasant to Canady. He held out his hand, "Nice to meet you, Candy. I have heard nothing but good things about you."

Candy hesitantly took Adam's hand and shook it. So this was the long lost Cartwright. He wasn't too sure what to make of Adam. During his last stay at the Ponderosa he hadn't heard much about the oldest Cartwright son and he wasn't certainly going to accept Adam Cartwright at face value. Only time would tell if Adam would be worthy of his friendship.

Joe could sense that there was already some tension between both Candy and Adam. He was confused as to the reason why and decided that he was going to have to do something about it. He reminded Adam about lunch and invited Candy to join them. Candy reluctantly agreed and the three of them went off to the cafe.

* * *

Hoss wiped the sweat off his brow. Tossing hay was sure hard work. Dadblang that Joe for taking off with Adam and leaving him behind to do most of the work. He didn't mind so much Adam going off, 'cause he knew that Adam had important stuff to do. At least ol' Adam did his fair share of the work when he didn't need to be elsewhere. Joe, on the other hand, would just about use any excuse he could find to get out doing work.

The only consolation that Hoss had had up to this point in time was that it was getting close to supper time. Having already caught a whiff what Hop Sing was cooking up for the evening meal had caused his mouth to water in expectation. Tossing all of this hay had sure made him downright hungry and he hoped that there would be enough for at least two helpings. After standing there for a few moments, he took a long slow breath and reluctantly returned to the task at hand.

A couple of minutes later, Hoss abruptly stopped as he heard the sound of horses approaching. He frowned a little. There were three horses coming in and he wondered who it could be. Turning around just in time, he saw his two brothers approach. He could see that they weren't alone and at first, had a hard time seeing who the third fellow was. As they drew nearer, he then suddenly realised who it was.

"Pa! Pa! Come on out here real quick." Hoss grinned, as he watched the three riders pull in and get off their horses. Walking up to Candy, Hoss grabbed him and gave him a huge bear hug.

"Ok, Hoss you can let me go now." Candy managed to say, as Hoss continued to hug him.

Letting go of Candy, Hoss stood there grinning from ear to ear. "Candy, you ol' son of gun. How have you been?"

"I've been fine. At least you had the good courtesy to ask." Candy smiled and firmly nodded once at Joe.

"Ok, Candy. I get your point." Joe smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

At that moment, Ben came out of the house to see what all the commotion was about. When he saw Candy, he quickly made his way over to his former foreman. Smiling Ben, held out his hand in greeting and Candy eagerly took it. Ben then put his other hand over Candy's hand and firmly shook hands.

"Candy. It's good to see you. How are you?"

"Like I told Hoss, I'm fine. Thanks for asking Mr. Cartwright." Candy quickly glanced at Joe, who just rolled his eyes.

Ben let go of Candy's hand and nodded. "It's been a while hasn't it? Well...how about coming inside and telling us what you've been up to?" Ben looked over and saw that a ranch hand was nearby. "Frank, take care of the horses will you?"

Adam watched as his father, Hoss and Joe escort Candy inside. He sighed. Seeing Frank approach him, he solemnly told Frank that he would take care of his own horse. As he walked his horse towards the stable, Adam tried to sort out his feelings. He wasn't quite sure what to make of what he just witnessed. It was obvious that Canady was being treated like a long lost member of the family. His family hadn't been this pleased since he himself had returned home.

After he took care of his horse, Adam was unsure of what he should do next. He didn't feel like going in and watching his family interact with Canady. In fact, he was feeling a little bit put out over the way his family was treating Canady. As he made his way out of the stable, he decided that it would better to sit outside and wait for a while before going on inside. When he had made his way to the porch, he sat down on the wooden bench and closed his eyes. The best thing he could do right now was to take time out to think over this whole situation before he did anything that he would regret later on.

* * *

"Adam?"

Adam opened his eyes and saw his father standing in front of him. He had no idea how long he had been sitting there for. "Pa...ahhh...I was just taking some time out to enjoy the afternoon sun."

Ben nodded his head in understanding. "I guess our reaction to Candy coming back was a bit of a surprise to you?"

"I guess you could say that."

Sitting down next to Adam, Ben placed his hand on his oldest son's shoulder. Even though it was good to see Candy, to Ben it was even better that Adam was back home for good. "You know son, I think you won't mind Candy so much once you get know him."

Adam turned his head to face his father and half-smiled. "Maybe Pa."

Ben gave Adam a sympathetic smile. He could on some level understand what Adam must be thinking and felt at this point in time. Knowing that it would be best to let Adam sort things out for himself, he gently patted Adam on the back and got up. "You coming inside now?"

Adam sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. I'm coming in now." He got up, paused for a moment to collect himself, before following his father inside.

* * *

"I must say the one thing that I did miss was Hop Sing's cooking. He's still the best cook this side of Sierra Nevada." Candy smiled as he lifted his glass in acknowledgement.

Hop Sing smiled in return and then went back to clearing the dishes from the table. Dinner that night had been a rather lively affair. Ben, Joe and Hoss had been filling Candy in on what that they had been up to in the last year or so since he had left. Candy had told them about a few of his adventures. Everybody had been enjoying themselves that is except for the one person, who at this point in time was feeling a little bit left out of the reunion that was currently taking place.

Adam, for most of the meal, had chosen to sit quietly and listen. On the odd occasion he had smiled and even laughed a little at something someone had said but in general, had made no real effort to participate in the dinner time conversation. From what he could see, Candy Canady seemed to be alright but for some reason he still couldn't find himself warming up to the man. He needed to learn more about Canady and the relationship he had with his family before doing anything.

Ben placed down his glass and leaned back in his chair. "Candy, as far as I can gather, no-one has asked you this question yet, so I guess the honour falls to me. I hope don't mind me asking but is your visit one of a permanent nature or are you just passing through?"

Candy knew that this question was coming and now the time had come to answer it. Quickly glancing around the table, he smiled. "Well, Mr. Cartwright. I was thinking of staying on for a time but for how long I can't say. I was hoping to come and work for you while I was here."

"You're always welcome here, Candy. I don't need to tell you that there has always been a job and place for you here. I have to say that it is nice to have you back with us. You were greatly missed by everybody here." Ben grinned. "I expect the arrangement will be the same as before?"

Candy nodded. It was nice to hear that he had been missed by everybody at the Ponderosa. Well, that wasn't exactly right. Candy looked across the table. He had no idea what the oldest Cartwright son thought - his face gave nothing away. Coming to the conclusion that he couldn't care less what Adam Cartwright thought about him, his face returned to Ben. "Yes, Mr. Cartwright. The same as before. I still want to reserve the right to leave whenever I want to."

"Then it's settled." Ben got up from his chair and took his glass in his hand. Raising his glass into the air, he smiled broadly. "Welcome home, Candy."

Joe and Hoss joined their father in toasting Candy's return. Adam, however, made no real attempt to do so. In fact he didn't want to. All Adam could think of at that point, was that there would be another person that he'd have to be careful around. Canady was no ordinary ranch hand. He could see that. The man would be a frequent guest inside the house. It was already hard enough keeping things from his family, without adding the extra burden of making sure that a complete stranger didn't find out that he was up to something more than just helping his father run the ranch. Deep down he knew that there were other reasons as to why he didn't like this turn of events but that was the one that was foremost in his mind.

Adam's flat out refusal to toast Candy's return had been noticed by all those who were present at the table. Ben was now even more worried about Adam's reaction to Candy. This caused him more concern than Adam's frequent and mysterious trips into Virginia City. Whatever it was that Adam was still keeping from him didn't seem so bad in the light of today's events.

Hoss shrugged his shoulders slightly. He had long ago given up trying to work out how and why Adam reacted to things the way he did. He had an idea that Adam's refusal had in some way, something to do with that legal job of his. Other than that he had no clue as to why Adam was acting the way he was. Hoss had noticed that Adam's years away from home had changed him in some ways. That job of his had and still played a big part in that change. He reckoned that Adam must have decided to play it safe for the time being. The looks on Pa's and Joe's faces, however, were giving Hoss a great deal more to think about.

Joe glared at Adam. Damn his brother for being so downright rude. He didn't like it one bit especially since that rudeness was being directed at Candy. It was great to see his best friend again after all this time. He was also happy and pleased that Candy had decided to stay on for a while. He could tell Pa and Hoss felt the same way he did. The fact that Adam didn't seem to share the sentiment, irked him. To be honest, it was also very confusing. Just then another thought hit him. If Adam didn't like this, he certainly wouldn't like was coming next. Frowning, Joe wondered if he should broach the subject right now or perhaps wait and see if someone else was going to say something about it first. He kind of hoped that Pa would do it. Yeah, on second thoughts, Pa should do it. It would be better if it came from him and then maybe Adam wouldn't feel so put out any more than he already was. Diverting his eyes from Adam he smiled apologetically at Candy.

After a few minutes of silence, Ben decided that it was time to speak. He too had realised that Candy's sleeping arrangements would not go down well with Adam and now was debating as to when would be the best time to mention it. Looking at Adam, he knew that it was best to get it over and done with as soon as possible. Standing up, he motioned to the others to come and join him in front of the fireplace.

For the next hour, Candy and Ben watched while Hoss and Joe played checkers. All four of them were still actively conversed and joked with each other throughout this time. Adam, on the other hand, had chosen to read a book. To the others it seemed that he was more interested in his latest book of Shakespeare sonnets than make any attempts to join them.

The truth was, that in fact Adam had been paying far more attention to what was going on around him than what was in his book. He saw his father glance at him occasionally, with a worried look on his face. This indicated to Adam that they were still holding something back. Adam felt sickened by the thought that his father was unhappy with what was happening and he wished that he could do something about it. The thought of pretending to be pleased that Canady was staying just to make his family happy was something that he was not prepared to do under any circumstances.

The grandfather clock chimed nine and Ben lowered his head. As he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his forefinger, he closed his eyes. Now was the time to say something before everybody turned in for the night. He opened his eyes and stood up. "Nine o'clock. Time I was heading for bed."

Hoss and Joe looked straight at each other and then quickly back to their father. Hoss had already made up his mind that he was going to bed right now before any of the fireworks started. He knew what his father was about to say and he didn't want to be around just in case Adam blew a fuse. To see Adam get mad would just about keep him up all night with worry. It was a sight that he was not prepared to see or to deal with for that matter. As he began to make his move, his father spoke again.

"Candy." Ben took a slow, deep breath. "Candy, when you're ready you can just take your things upstairs to your old room."

Adam raised an eyebrow, but keep quiet. His years as a Secret Service agent had taught him to keep his feelings and his reactions down to the bare minimum. He closed his book and got up. After saying goodnight to everyone, he calmly walked upstairs to his room. Upon entering his room, he closed the door firmly and slowly made his way over to the window. He placed both of his hands on either side of it and let go of all pretence. As he stared out into the night sky, he began trying to make sense of his reaction to Canady. To say that he was upset to find out that Canady had been granted a place in his home was an understatement. He continued to keep staring out of the window for some time as he tried to work out his feelings and what he should do next.

Meanwhile downstairs, the others were quite confused by the way Adam had reacted to this latest revelation. Ben wished his sons and Candy a good night. He walked up the stairs, as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Stopping briefly at Adam's door, he contemplated whether he should go in or not. Deciding once again that it would be better to wait, he went on to his room.

Hoss followed shortly after his father, leaving Candy and Joe alone downstairs. Joe told Candy that he was glad that he was back and then feeling that it was his duty to apologise for Adam's behaviour, did so. Candy told Joe that everything was fine and that he didn't expect to be welcomed with open arms by Adam. Joe half-smiled. He wished his friend a good night and then made his way upstairs.

Candy watched Joe as he made his way up. It was good to be back. When Joe had disappeared from his sight, he went outside to collect his gear. Standing for a short time out on the porch, he thought about the way things had gone that day. That Adam Cartwright was certainly a man who kept all his cards to himself. He had the feeling that Adam was not exactly pleased with his presence on the ranch and couldn't blame him. Shaking his head, he picked up his gear and made his way back inside. The only thing Candy was sure about was that for Joe's sake he would be polite to Adam. Other than that he was not guaranteeing anything.

* * *

"Everything looks fine over here," Candy shouted. He turned his horse around to head back in the direction that he had come from. He and Joe had been out for the most of the day checking the fence in the east pasture. Some of the cows had gotten out during the night and so Ben had sent them both to check out the east, while Adam, Hoss and himself had gone out with some of the other ranch hands to check the other pastures.

Joe met Candy halfway and reported to his friend that nothing was amiss at his end. As they rode together to the next fence, Joe's mind turned to the events of the last few days.

Candy had been home for nearly a week now and the state of affairs between him and Adam had not improved much during that time. The two men rarely saw each during the day except for breakfast and dinner. They were polite to each other but that was about as far as it went. Joe had the feeling that it was for his sake they had both separately come to the same conclusion. It didn't help matters much that Adam still took his trips into Virginia City and on those days, he didn't bother coming home until well into the night. Joe had begun to wish that his brother and his best friend would let everything come out into the open so that they could resolve their differences. Something would have to give very soon in order to break the apparent stalemate they were in.

Candy could tell that his friend was in deep thought about something. He knew he wouldn't be surprised if it was about the situation with Adam. Other than being polite to Joe's brother, when they were in the company of others, he had made no real effort in getting to know the aloof Cartwright. He was privately thankful that he didn't have the need to spend any time alone with Adam. What an awkward situation that would be. Deciding that it was time that Joe needed something else to think about, Candy smiled. He knew what would get Joe going.

"About this dance on Friday night...have you thought about who you're going to take?"

Joe smiled. "Not really. Got my eye on a couple of girls though."

"That I wouldn't doubt." Candy grinned. "Well, when you decide which one you want, just send the other one in my direction. I'll have no trouble in helping her get over you."

Joe laughed. He knew what Candy was up to and he welcomed the change of thought. It didn't last for long though. He had made up his mind to bridge the ever widening gap between Candy and Adam. Whether either one of them liked it or not it didn't matter. He was going to try his hardest to at least get them on better terms with each other. The thought of having to choose one over the other if the situation called for it in the future was not something he wished to contemplate.

"Candy. I think there's something I should tell you about my brother Adam."

As he stopped his horse, Candy frowned. What on earth was Joe trying to do now? Obviously Joe had gotten it in his mind to sort out his and Adam's problems. He didn't like it but because Joe was a friend he would listen to whatever he had to say.

Joe got off his horse and waited for Candy to do the same. After Candy had dismounted, Joe began to tell Candy about Adam's behaviour since he had returned home. Joe also told him about Renee and his suspicions ever since then. All the while Candy nodded and slowly took in what Joe was saying.

"Hmmm. Do you think your brother is doing something illegal?"

Joe shook his head vigorously. "No. That's one thing I'm sure about. Hoss knows something and I know he wouldn't let Adam do anything that wasn't on the level. You know Hoss, if he knew that you doing something that was wrong, he'd be the first to try and get you back on the straight and narrow."

Candy nodded. "Yeah, you got that right. Adam sounds like the type to keep things to himself."

"Yep. He's always been that way. Still, I've tried everything I could think of to find out what his big secret is."

"Obviously you haven't tried everything. Maybe there are other ways to try to find out what's going on."

"Well I'm damned if I know what they are." Joe shrugged his shoulders. "There's one thing that I do know for sure and that is that I won't rest until I find out what it is."

Candy went over and patted his friend on the back. "Just make sure you don't get hurt in the process. Besides maybe it's better not knowing."

"Maybe." Joe half-smiled. "I've haven't done much to investigate since you've returned. Hopefully Adam's been lulled into thinking that I've given up. That's one thing he may be grateful to you about."

Candy raised his eyebrows. "If Adam is grateful to me about anything I would be the last one to know."

"Hmm. I'm just telling you now, so you won't be surprised and think I've gone mad. I have no intentions of letting up on Adam. I'm going to find out what my big brother is up to, even if it takes me the rest of life."

Candy slowly shook his head. He could see that Joe was set on this task and silently wished him the best of luck with it. Joe would be facing an uphill battle and with Adam Cartwright in control, it would be a long one.

* * *

Friday night was bright and clear. The moon was shone brilliantly, creating an atmosphere of hope and happiness for those who were attending the dance in the Virginia City Hall. Joe had eventually decided to escort Leah to the dance and had gone off to her house to pick her up. The rest of the Cartwright men had decided to go alone. Candy had also decided that this was the best way to go as well. People had come and gone since the last time he was here and he wanted to see who was around now.

Adam slowly looked around the dance hall. The place had been decorated very nicely and he could see that the supper table was full of delicious food and drink. Adam grinned as he noted that Hoss had already come to that conclusion and was even now at the table sampling a few of the delicacies on offer. His father was on the dance floor dancing with one of the ladies that he was acquainted with. Even Candy was making headway with a young girl that he had met only a few minutes ago. Adam smiled. At least Joe would be occupied tonight. He hoped to get the chance to slip away later on and meet up with one of his contacts here in town.

Leaning against the wall and he folded his arms as he continued to watch the night's proceedings. Joe's interest in him had suddenly picked up again in the last day or so. He had hoped that Candy's appearance would be enough to distract Joe and keep him out of his way. Originally, it had seemed that way and Adam had begun to think of Candy as a godsend. For nearly a week, he had been able to go about his business without having Joe annoy him or follow him into town. He loved Joe dearly but it was getting on his nerves that Joe had somehow gotten it into his mind to find out what he was really doing here.

Adam sighed. He needed to go and get a drink. Seeing that there was a lovely lady making her way to the table, he grinned. There was no time like the present to start getting acquainted with some of the more eligible ladies about town. Ever since Placerville he had been making a conscious effort to have a little more fun and he had succeeded until the appearance of Candy. Candy's affect on his family still irked him and he wished he knew why.

When Adam got the table he went to Hoss' side and nudged him a little. "You know Hoss, you could leave something for the rest of us."

Hoss grinned. "You know I can't go without at least tryin' everythin' once."

Adam laughed. "Yeah I know Hoss." Quickly he looked around and espied a young lady who was staring in their direction. "I think you've got an admirer," Adam whispered.

Hoss stood up straight, looking confused. "Me? Where?"

Adam pointed her out to Hoss, who straightened his tie and smiled. "Here, mind this for me." He gave his plate to Adam, winked and made his way over to the lady.

"Well...at least you could leave something for the rest of us."

Adam turned to see the lady he had noticed before standing next to him. He smiled sheepishly and began to engage her in conversation.

* * *

Candy smiled weakly at the man. He was still trying to work out how he ended up here in the first place. The night had been going very well until this had happened. That Nancy was something and he had planned on getting to her know her even more but now it looked like that would never eventuate.

"I told ya that if I eva saw yer scrawny face agin you'd be sorry."

"Hey! Now look here, Jake. How was I supposed to know that you would turn up somewhere as respectable as the local dance."

Jake glared down at Candy. He had had just about all he could take from the pipsqueak and it had started to show. He grunted and returned to talking to his companion.

Rolling his eyes, Candy once again went back to trying to work out a way out this predicament. Being tied to the chair didn't help much and the only way out seemed to be either through the door or out the window. He winced as he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. He had been knocked down and practically dragged all the way here. Poor Nancy, he thought, the girl had been scared half to death. Going back, he remembered how he and Nancy had been enjoying the air outside the hall. Just as he was about to kiss her, he was grabbed from behind. He hoped that Nancy had regained enough of her senses to go and get help. In fact, he was pretty sure that there was a search going on for him right now. All he had to do was to keep these two buffoons from killing him.

"Ok. Here's what we're goin' to do now." Jake placed a hand on Candy's shoulder.

"Look Jake. How about I just give back your initial stake and we can call it even."

Jake shook his head. "Nah. I want all of it and I mean to get all of it. If yer hadn't of cheated we wouldn't be havin' this conversation."

"I cheated?" Candy said, incredulously. "I just bet you at your own game. You were cheating long before I got involved."

"Hmm...that don't matter now. What matters is that I want all of the money - now!"

"Well I haven't got it on me right now. If you want I can go and get it for you."

Jake just glared even more at him. "We'll get it soon enough. Soon as we finish teachin' yer a lesson yer won't ferget."

Candy gulped as he waited for Jake to deal out his lesson.

* * *

Adam took a deep breath. Time he set his plan into motion. If he let Jake teach a lesson to Candy, he would never hear the end of it from Joe. Besides it wouldn't be right to let Candy get hurt just because they didn't get along with each other.

The paper thin walls in this old building that was located in a disreputable part of Virginia City, had enabled Adam to listen to everything that was going on in the room that he currently stood outside of. Having arrived just as the two men were carrying Candy inside the building, Adam had been able to determine which room they had gone into without much effort.

Deciding that the element of surprise was all that he had in his favour, Adam kicked down the door. After he quickly rushed into the room, Adam stood there with his gun pointed at Jake and his friend.

"Good evening gentlemen. Sorry to break up this party but I have a prior engagement with the fellow you have tied up."

Candy frowned. What was going on? When he had seen the door crash down, he had been relieved. He didn't mind that it was Adam Cartwright who come his rescue he was just glad that he had been saved before anything drastic had occurred. However, what Adam had just said had confused the heck out of him.

Jake growled. "Whaddya mean?"

Adam smirked. "I mean he's mine. When I've finished with him you can have what's left."

"Nah we've got him now. Besides one of the two us could take yer down before yer even get a shot out."

"You're right but I've taken that into account. So then, I'll make you a deal. I'll double whatever it is that he owes you if you let me have him now."

"How do we know that yer on the level and not tryin' to trick us?"

"Look. Even before you could grab me, I might to manage to get one shot out. So, either one of you could be injured or dead." He pointed to Candy and then continued. "Besides we would have a witness and the gunshot could be heard by someone."

Candy enthusiastically nodded his head. "You know, he's got a point there. No doubt there's already a bunch of people out there looking for me. The girl I was with would've told them already about you two jumping me."

"You know he's right, Jake." Jake's partner did not relish the thought of being either shot or found with Candy when the search party came looking.

"Ok, Duffy. I get the point," Jake snarled. "Ok, mister yer can have him. By the time yer finished untying him that search party will down on yer like a pack of wolves."

Adam raised an eyebrow. Now he was confused by the turn of events. He hadn't expected them to give up so easily. Maybe they were more brawn than brains after all.

Duffy was the first to exit the room, with Jake following close behind. Just as he was going through the door, he turned back and pointed his finger at Candy. "Don't worry we haven't finished with yer yet." He then continued on his way.

After placing his gun back in the holster, Adam watched the retreating backs of Jake and Duffy and shook his head slowly. Something just wasn't right about this whole thing. Jake and Duffy were up to something. He was sure of it but he couldn't determine what it was.

"Well...are you going just keep standing there or are you going to untie me?"

"Sorry." Adam walked over to Candy and began to untie him.

"How did you know where to find me?"

"Let's just say I have a way of finding out things." Adam wasn't about to tell Candy how he found out where he was. It was just pure coincidence that the contact that he had met with a short time ago had been able to tell him about Jake's and Duffy's plans for Candy.

Candy stood up and shook the ropes off his feet. "So what do we do now?"

"We leave."

"Exactly the thought I had in mind." Candy started to walk out the door.

Adam grabbed Candy by arm. "We're not going out that way. I have a feeling Jake and Duffy will be waiting for us down there." He directed Candy to the window. "We're going out through here."

Candy blinked. "Aww c'mon. There's got to be a better way than this. We're two stories up and we don't have enough rope."

"I'm going this way. You can take your chances going out through the front door but you won't make it much further than the corner of the building."

Adam went over to the window and began to prise it open. It proved hard to budge. He turned to see Candy standing there, deep in thought. Adam rolled his eyes and went back to the task at hand.

Candy knew that Adam had a point. Reluctantly, he walked over and began to help Adam open the window. Eventually the window became unstuck and they were able to open it with little effort. Candy took a few steps back as Adam stuck his head out and looked around. It was still there. Silently he thanked God for giving him the wisdom to think of a back-up plan.

Before Candy could stop him, Adam climbed out of the window. Surely Adam wasn't going to jump down two stories, and hope for the best. Surely not. Candy didn't relish the thought of what Joe would do to him if his brother got hurt on account of him. For some reason though, he found it hard to move. Maybe it was because if he looked out of the window he would probably end up seeing Adam lying there in a heap of broken bones.

"Well? Are you coming down or not?"

Going over to the window, he poked his head out. Candy was surprised to see Adam had survived the drop. He turned his head to the right and it was then that he saw a ladder leaning against the building. He felt like slapping his forehead. What the hell was the matter with him tonight? As he made his way out, he made a vow never to mention this lapse in sanity to anyone.

Carefully, as he made his way down the ladder, Candy's thoughts turned to how Adam had managed to find him in such a short time. Maybe Joe's suspicions about his brother had something in them after all. Adam Cartwright had definitely proved that there was more to him than what met the eye.

* * *

"There's one of them right now," Adam whispered as he pointed out the movement across the street to Candy.

"And there's other," Candy replied as he pointed a little further up the street.

Both of them were crouched down behind some crates that were situated in the alley outside of the building that they had just been in. For about ten minutes they had silently watched and waited for any sign to indicate as to where Jake and Duffy were. It was obvious that Jake and Duffy still expected them to leave the building through the front door. They had conveniently positioned themselves across the street in order to get a good clean shot at them as Adam and Candy walked out.

"I think they're starting to wonder what's taking us so long to come out. We'll have to do something now or we may lose the advantage we have over them."

Candy nodded. "You're right. Got any ideas?"

"I have one but you may not like it."

Candy let out a small groan. Great. This guy was just like his brother. Always making me do the hard work. He sighed. There was nothing he could do about it now but take it all in his stride.

"Here take this." Adam handed his gun over to Candy.

As Candy took the gun, he felt a bit confused by Adam's gesture. "Ok. Now what?"

"You take the one on the left and I'll take the one on the right. You can use the gun either to shoot him or knock him out. The choice is yours."

"What about you? What are you going to do with the other one?"

"Don't worry. I'll think of something." Adam got up and made his way down the alley to the opposite end.

Candy followed suit and instead of turning right, as Adam had done, he went left. Going around the building, he carefully made his way along the row of buildings that lined the right hand side of the alley. He eventually came to another street. As he looked to his right he could see that the last building was located at the corner of an intersection.

When he stuck his head around the corner of the building at the end of the street, Candy could see the place where Jake and Duffy were still lying in wait for them. He hoped that it was dark enough so that he could have a decent chance in making it across to the other side without being seen. Besides, it made perfect sense that Jake and Duffy would be still watching the front of the building and not the other end of the street. He took a deep breath and ran quickly across the street.

When he had reached the other side, Candy began to make his way slowly and quietly up the street to where the man he was after hid. He was half-hoped that it was Duffy and not Jake. Jake was way too big for him to take down with just a quick hit on the head. With Duffy out of the way, at least Adam and him could both take Jake on. One man by himself wasn't going to cut it.

As he neared his prey, Candy wished that Hoss was around to help. At least Hoss would stand some chance with Jake. There was nothing that could be done about that now. Candy kept on going until he was virtually on top of the man he was after. Seeing that it was Duffy, he felt relieved and now knew that he had a bit of chance.

Crouching down behind Duffy, he cocked the gun he had in his hand. He could see Duffy react slightly to the noise of the gun. Slowly Duffy turned around. Candy could see that Duffy was amazed to see that he was the man with the gun.

Candy smirked. In a just audible voice, he whispered, "Ok. Drop the gun nice and easy. Wouldn't want you to get hurt now, would we?"

Duffy slowly put down the rifle he had been holding and raised his hands. Candy knew that he had no choice now but to sit it out while he waited to hear from Adam about the fate of Jake. He hoped it wouldn't be much longer.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Candy cringed as he heard the voice from behind him. Jake! He stood up and slowly turned around. "Hi there. Nice night isn't it?"

Jake just scowled. He told Candy to drop his gun and then shouted at Duffy to pick up both of the guns of the ground. As he stared at Candy, Jake smiled. "You shoulda bin more careful crossin' the street."

Oh great! Here I was thinking that he wouldn't see me. Candy's mind then began to race. Where the hell was Adam? Adam should've taken Jake out by now. Damn, shouldn't have trusted Cartwright in the first place.

Candy watched as Jake raised his gun to take aim. He could see that Jake was enjoying himself and Candy resigned himself to the inevitable. Closing his eyes, he waited for the fatal gun shot.

The next few minutes happened in a blur for Candy. Initially, when he had heard the gun fire, his immediate reaction had been that it was all over. He then suddenly realised that he hadn't been hit. Looking down at his body, he quickly checked his body to make sure that it wasn't a dream. After doing this, he raised his head and noticed that Jake had been tackled by Hoss. Candy raised his eyebrows in surprise and continued to watch as Hoss wrestled with Jake. After a few moments, he saw that Jake's gun lying on the ground. Candy regained his senses and went over to grab the gun.

After he picked up the gun, Candy turned around to see that Adam had taken Duffy out the picture, no doubt at the same time as Hoss had taken care of Jake. Adam was finishing off Duffy with a couple of quick punches to his face. Candy could see that Duffy's rifle and Adam's gun were both on the ground. Immediately he went over and picked them up.

Adam straightened as he looked down at Duffy. The man was now curled up in a ball and whimpering. Candy now stood with his back turned to him to watch the fight between Hoss and Jake. Adam noted that he was holding all three guns. Slightly shaking his head, Adam went over to him. He tapped Candy on the shoulder and smirked. "Sorry I was late. I ran into Hoss at the other end of the alley. Apparently he was out looking for you, so I enlisted his help."

"Good thing you did," Candy replied. "I don't think you could've taken Jake on your own."

Adam just raised an eyebrow. He could see that Hoss was still having a hard time getting Jake to surrender. "I think we'd better go and help him."

"I think you're right." Candy handed Adam his gun back, as well as Jake's and kept the rifle for himself. The two of them walked over to where Hoss and Jake were battling it out. When the two men had separated, Candy nudged the barrel of the rifle into Jake's back.

"Ok Jake. The party's over."

Hoss stopped in his tracks and put his hands his hips. "'Bout time you two finished your yappin'. Couldn't you see I needed help?"

"Sorry Hoss." Adam grinned. "I thought you could take him without any problems."

"Hmm. Next time, just you remember that I'm only one man and that I can't do everythin' by myself."

"I'll remember, Hoss." Adam then took a long, slow look at the two men lying on the ground. Duffy was still whimpering and Candy held Jake at gunpoint. It occurred to Adam, that Candy was now enjoying himself immensely. "Time we took these two down to the sheriff and let everybody know that Candy is safe."

Hoss and Candy nodded. The three of them then began the task of escorting Jake and Duffy down to the sheriff's office.

* * *

As Candy stepped out of the sheriff's office, he could see that Hoss and Adam had waited for him. He had just finished telling Sheriff Foster his side of the story and was greatly relieved to find out that he wouldn't have to be a witness in the upcoming trial due to the fact that Jake and Duffy were already wanted men and that they already had plenty of people lined up to testify.

Casually, he made his way to Hoss, who stood just outside the office. Candy smiled. "Thanks Hoss."

Hoss smiled sheepishly. "Nothin' to thank me for, Candy. You know you can always count on me to help ya when you need it."

Candy grinned. "Glad to know that." He looked across the street at Adam, who leant against a hitching rail, with his arms folded. "Wait here. I need to talk to your brother."

Hoss gave Candy a gentle nudge and sent him off in Adam's direction. When Candy reached Adam, he held out his hand. "Thanks."

Adam took Candy's hand and shook it in return. "Thanks isn't necessary."

"All the same I liked to say thanks anyway." Candy knew that he owed Adam one. "Hope I can return the favour sometime." The sooner, the better, he thought.

"How about we just leave it at that." Adam paused. "Now about this situation we're in at the moment. Got any ideas?"

Candy thought for a moment. "How about we just be friendly acquaintances and let things happen as they happen."

"Sounds goods to me." Adam glanced over to Hoss. Motioning with his hand, he indicated to Hoss to come over and join them. "You know something. I've noticed that you and Joe have the same two weaknesses."

"Really? What are they?"

"Poker and girls. Either one or both of them will eventually be your undoing."

Candy laughed. "You know you might just be onto something there. All I can say in response is that it would be one helluva way to go."

Adam laughed. It was at this point that Hoss reached Adam and Candy. After he glanced to his right, a worried look suddenly appeared on Hoss' face. "Oh Lordy. Here comes Joe."

Adam and Candy looked to see that Joe was indeed coming down the street. Joe looked like he was in bit of a hurry. Candy took a long deep breath. "He's going to have a million questions."

Hoss and Adam glanced sideways at each other and answered in unison, "We know."

Joe, as he made his way down the street, continued to keep a firm eye on his brothers and Candy. When the deputy had found him and told him that Candy was fine, Joe was glad. He had been out searching for his best friend ever since Nancy had come back into the dance hall and told all who were present that Candy had been kidnapped by two men. As the men worked out what parts of town the two men could have taken Candy to, Joe had suddenly realised that Adam was nowhere to be seen.

When the deputy explained to him, that Candy had appeared at the office with his brothers and the two men who had kidnapped him in tow, Joe was surprised to say the least. His surprise came mainly from the fact that Adam was with Candy and Hoss. He was now itched to find out what had happened.

"Hey Joe. How you doin'?" Hoss called in a cheerful voice as Joe came up to them.

"Enough of the small talk, Hoss. What happened?"

In a half serious tone, Candy spoke up. "Well, I was kidnapped. Then I was rescued. Then we caught the two men who kidnapped me. And then we brought them here."

Hoss nodded. "Sounds 'bout right to me. How 'bout you, Adam?"

"That's the way I remember it."

Joe was flabbergasted. "You're not going to tell me are you?"

Adam smirked. "Not this time, little brother." After seeing Hoss and Candy nod their heads in agreement, he continued, "How about we get back and enjoy what's left of the dance."

Candy and Hoss readily agreed to Adam's proposition and began to move off. As Hoss and Candy passed Joe, they each gave Joe a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Joe could feel the frustration had started to build up inside of him.

Then just as Adam waked past him, Joe abruptly grabbed his brother's arm. "You know this isn't going to stop me."

Turning to face Joe, Adam placed both of his hands on his youngest brother's shoulders and gave him a lop-sided smile. "I know and I wouldn't have it any other way."

It took a couple of seconds for Joe to comprehend what his brother had just said. He then laughed. Adam knew the score where he was concerned. It was good to know that Adam didn't mind one bit that he was going keep on trying until he got some answers. "Have I told you, that's it's been damn good to have you back home."

At Joe's statement, Adam could feel a weight lift off him. He now realised that he had been waiting for Joe to say something about him coming home to stay. Letting go of Joe's shoulders, he just stood back and lowered his head. He took a little time to take it in. As he raised his head, he replied, "Thanks Joe. I needed to hear that."

Joe nodded his head in acknowledgement. Not caring that Adam may not like it, Joe went up to his brother and gave him a quick hug. With his mischief gleaming in his eyes, he smiled. "Now how about telling me what you've been up to all these years."

Adam laughed heartily. "Maybe one day, but not today. Let's get going." He started to walk off.

Joe grinned and before going himself, took time to watch his older brother. Then, after quickly catching up to Adam, he placed his arm around Adam's shoulders. "I had to at least give it a try."

Adam patted Joe on the back. Laughing, they both continued to make their way back to the dance hall.

**THE END**

**OCTOBER 2003**

Revised April 2005


End file.
